The Smell of Licorice
by CoryLynne
Summary: Slim and Mort have been shot and are laying in two feet of snow and it's still snowing. Will they be found before it's too late?


**THE SMELL OF LICORICE**

Day One

Christmas was just a couple of days away and it looked like it was definitely going to be a white one, as it has been snowing off and on for a week, with about two feet of snow on the ground and it didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon.

It was cold and I really didn't want to get out of my warm bed, but as much as I hated to, it was time to get started on my day. So jumping out of bed, I quickly threw my clothes on and headed for the kitchen where I tossed some kindling and some wood on the leftover coals. After putting a pot of water on for fresh coffee, I took care of my morning libations. By the time I had washed my hands and face the coffee was ready and the chill had been chased away by the warm fire.

While I was fixing breakfast I was running the day's upcoming chores through my head. First, of course were the animals, I would feed them, then milk the cow … I didn't use much milk, but the O'Brien family, who had purchased the livery a couple of years ago, had new twin boys and they were buying all the milk my old cow could give, which wasn't much this time of year. After delivering the milk I would head to the office, which I knew was going to be freezing cold. I was tempted to not go in at all, there hadn't been anything happen that required my attention for over a week, but sure as the devil there would be a catastrophe if I didn't go in.

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I had been at the office for about an hour and it had finally warmed up enough that I could take my coat off, but I had to keep feeding wood into the stove to maintain that warmth. I had just sat down with the Laramie Sentinel when the door opened and in walked Slim Sherman, followed by a blast of cold arctic wind.

He quickly closed the door as I jumped up and threw my coat on before I got chilled again. While I was stoking the fire I asked, "Slim, don't you have any better sense than to be out in this kind of weather?"

Slim was stomping his feet, trying to get some circulation back into them, no doubt, as he answered, "Hi Mort, it's Daisy's fault, she sent me in to do some last minute errands and also remind you about Christmas Eve dinner, you will be able to make it, won't you?"

It had been a tradition for a lot of years for me to spend Christmas Eve at the Sherman ranch, in fact the first time I was there Slim was just a teen and my wife was still alive. I had missed very few opportunities over the years to spend the day with the Sherman family. "I don't see any reason why not, short of a blizzard or disaster here in town."

We had both warmed up and taken our coats off and while drinking another cup of hot coffee, we were discussing the weather, the newest gossip and were laughing about the Parson's latest antics when we heard gunshots!

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I slipped into my coat again, grabbed my hat and headed out the door, "I wonder what's going on now?" I said to Slim as he followed me out the door.

It had stopped snowing and the clouds were breaking away, but I didn't pay much notice to that, all I saw were a number of people standing outside the bank door trying to see what was going on inside.

"All right, step back, let me through," I said as I worked my way past the crowd.

What I saw when I finally was able to get inside made my blood run cold. Mrs. O'Brien was kneeling beside her husband, who lay on the floor with blood streaming from a wound in his stomach. I hollered over my shoulder for someone to fetch the doc as I knelt down beside Mrs. O'Brien. Putting my hand on her shoulder I urged her to tell me what happened.

She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and explained, "Those men were monsters! After they got all the bank's money they started making the customers empty their pockets … when they got to us, John begged them not to take what little we had, that we had new born babies that needed fed and clothed … they just laughed at us and then the big man shot him!" As she finished telling me her story, she broke into sobs. Holding her in my arms, I motioned for one of the other women to offer her some comfort.

Taking a quick look around the bank, I saw one of the tellers holding a kerchief to his wounded shoulder and the manager coming through the open back door. As I was talking with the manager Dr. Saunders rushed in, looked at Mr. O'Brien and immediately got some men to take him to his office. "Dan, what are his chances," I asked as I watched them carry him off.

"It doesn't look good Mort, but I will do everything I can."

While I was talking with the bank personnel, Slim was exploring outside. I had gotten everyone's statement, so I walked out to where Slim was studying tracks and told him, "According to what they're telling me inside, there were two men, one fairly large the other average, both were wearing masks. What have you found?"

Slim was shaking his head, "Not much, I'm afraid. There are tracks of two horses heading towards the livery stable, but they got mixed in with a number of other tracks, it'll take a while to figure out which direction they went. But one of the horses has a special shoe, so it'll be easy to track."

"Slim, I hate to ask, but are you able to ride posse with me? I doubt that I will be able to find anyone willing to go out in this weather, especially this close to Christmas." _I_ didn't want to go out in this weather, but I needed to not only get the town's money back, I also needed to get the men who shot down a new father.

"I'll ride with you Mort. John's a friend of mine and I want the men who shot him!"

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Slim followed me home, where he went to saddle my horse, while I packed food and cooking gear into my saddlebags. I knew it was going to get colder with the clear skies settling in, so I packed extra blankets, socks and coats, wrapping them in my bedroll, then with canvas so they'd stay dry.

By the time I had everything ready Slim was outside with my horse. I insisted he come in to warm up and have some coffee before we hit the trail and while he was warming up, he told me that he had seen where the bank robbers had gone around the livery stable and hit the trail towards Lodgepole Creek.

"The horses don't look like they are loaded very heavy, so they may have other ones stashed somewhere, or at least some gear. Otherwise they are going to get mighty cold."

Being somewhat familiar with that area, I asked, "Do you suppose they are holed up at the old Swanson place? There's a cabin that was still somewhat usable at the forks of Lodgepole and Pine Creeks."

"That was my first thought also, I think it would be our best bet and I know a shortcut, it's a little rough, but we can make it and it will cut our distance by a couple of miles. We might be able to surprise them before they get to the shack."

"All right, let's get going. Hopefully, we will be back before long, but just in case I packed supplies and extra blankets."

By the time we got on the trail, it was about noon, which left about four hours of daylight. I hoped that our suspicions were right and we weren't heading off in the wrong direction, we sure didn't want to have to backtrack.

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Our horses were fresh and eager to travel once on the trail and after we entered the forest the snow wasn't nearly as deep and we were making good time. Slim was leading the way, as I'd never been on this trail, in fact I didn't know it existed.

He called a halt after about two hours, "We should be breaking out into a valley in about another mile, but it will take quite awhile, as this is the roughest part of the trail, it's narrow and rocky and we'll have to be real careful. When we break out of the forest we can almost see the cabin and we will be able to see the trail clearly. Our only problem is daylight, it's getting dark already and in another hour or so it will be too dark to see, so we'll have to keep alert."

"You've brought us this far with no problems, so lead the way."

It was nearly dark by the time we had traversed the narrow trail, both horses were nervous, to say nothing of their riders, but they handled it nicely and delivered us safely to the bottom, where I gave a silent sigh of relief and stroked Chase's neck. We stopped at the edge of the trees to survey the scene ahead. After searching the area thoroughly for a few minutes we both determined that the way was clear to proceed.

We decided to keep to the edge of the forest so we weren't outlined against the snow, as we would be if we rode across the valley. We were almost to the cabin when shots rang out! I saw Slim go down hard just as a slug hit me in the right shoulder, knocking me from my horse into two feet of snow. Barely conscious, I laid there long enough that I was beginning to shiver with cold. I slowly raised my head enough to look over the snow towards where the shots had come from, but by now it was totally dark and I could see no further than a few yards. I painfully crawled to where Slim lay partially covered by the snow, turning him over I found the bullet had hit him high in the chest. The cold had helped stop the bleeding, but he was hurt bad and needed to get out of the weather and to a doctor. I tried to move him, but with only one good arm I was pretty much useless and I was losing blood and getting weaker by the minute. As I lay there trying to figure how we were going to get out of this predicament, I heard someone approaching, I struggled against whoever it was, but as they lifted me into their arms, darkness overtook me.

Day Two

When I awoke I was in a soft bed in a warm cabin and I figured I must have died, but when I tried to move, my shoulder hurt, telling me I was still a mortal man with aches and pains.

I slowly looked around and saw Slim in the bed beside mine, "Slim? … Slim can you hear me?" Getting no response from him, I called louder, "Hello! Is anyone here?" Nothing, maybe this is all a dream, "Hello!" I shouted louder. I'm wondering where we are and who found us as I drift into semi-consciousness.

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The young man who had helped Mort and Slim was in the barn brushing one of the men's horses, he had ran the big chestnut off, hoping he would go home and someone would come looking for the rider. He coaxed the bay into letting the man catch him and he was used to get the wounded men to the cabin. He was a good horse and he knew he must take good care of him for the men in the cabin.

He had done all he could for the men, they were both hurt quite bad, the older one would be fine if his wound didn't get infected or he didn't develop a fever, but he was very worried about the other man. He had gotten the bullet out, but he had lost a lot of blood … the young man could only ask God to help him survive.

After taking care of the horse he went back inside the warm cabin. He had found some bad men here late yesterday afternoon and told them they had to go away, they didn't want to go and were going to shoot him, but he 'helped' them disappear. He had been directed to these two men, they were hurt very badly and he knew he had to help them, so he brought them to the cabin and doctored them as best he could.

He remembered the men from when he lived in Laramie many years ago, in fact one of them used to give him a few coins to keep his office clean, he really liked him, he never laughed at him like the others in town did and always treated him nice. The tall man was also very kind to him and had him take care of his horse when he came into town, he never laughed at him either. Both of these men treated him like a normal human and always kept people from saying bad things to him, he liked them.

He cut up some meat and a few wild herbs to make a broth for when the men regained consciousness, he knew they would need the nourishment to help keep their strength up. He just prayed that they _would_ wake up.

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I moaned as I tried to move and suddenly felt an arm under my back, lifting me into a sitting position, I opened my eyes to see the silhouette of a man, but I couldn't distinguish his facial features because of the darkness of the room.

He quietly said, "I made some nice nourishing broth for you, drink it slowly so you don't choke." He held the cup to my lips and I drank it carefully, until I could drink no more.

Lifting my hand, I told him, "I can't hold any more, it's very good. Thank you." I knew that voice and recognized his smell, but I couldn't see his face, it was just too dark. I was getting very sleepy and as I nodded off I felt him lower me back to the bed, the last thing I remembered was him saying to rest easy.

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The young man watched the man sleep for a few minutes, remembering how kind he was those many years ago. Sighing, he turned his attention to the tall man, whom he also remembered as being a nice man who always had a kind word and pat on the shoulder when he saw him.

But he wasn't looking so good now. His breathing was shallow and labored, his skin overly warm to the touch and the wound was looking no better. The man wished he knew more about how to take care of the men, he felt sad that he couldn't be of more help to them.

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The snow had settled enough that there had been an afternoon stage going through to Cheyenne, the first one that had been able to make it through for about a week. They had just left the relay station and while Jess was taking care of the spent team he was thinking about the news that Mose had given him. He'd told him that the Laramie bank had been robbed and Mort and Slim had taken out after the bandits the day before and no one had seen or heard from them since.

As Jess was taking care of the tired team he heard a horse trotting into the yard, he looked up just in time to see Alamo go into the barn. Jess knew right away that something bad had happened and rushed to the barn.

He immediately saw blood on Slim's saddle, assuming that Slim had been shot he quickly saddled Traveler and leading him and Alamo, he walked to the house to get his bedroll and supplies. As he was packing he told Daisy about Alamo and what had happened in town that he was going to follow Alamo's tracks to find Slim and Mort and he would be back as soon as he could.

Daisy was wringing her hands with worry, "Oh Jess, Christmas is just tomorrow, please bring them back before then. They have to be here with family, so we can all celebrate together."

Jess hugged her close to him, "I'll find them Daisy and I'll try to have them home for Christmas, but don't count on it. If they're hurt, I may not be able to move them. Tell Mike not to worry and to take care of the horses, all right?"

She smiled bravely, but was very concerned.

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Kate Munroe rode into the yard just as Jess was leaving, "Howdy Jess! Where you headed in such a hurry, can't you see there's a storm coming in?"

Jess looked up at the lowering sky, "Hi Kate. Yeah, I know, that's why I'm rushing. Slim's horse just came in without him and there's blood on his saddle. I'm going to backtrack Alamo and hopefully find him before the snow covers the tracks." He knew that time was against him, "Kate … Mort's with Slim." Mort and Kate had an on again, off again 'relationship' and Jess knew that Kate would want to go with him, "You feel up to riding with me? I could sure use your help if they're hurt."

Kate didn't hesitate, "Let's get on the trail before it starts snowing! What are they doing out in this weather anyhow, it's too damn cold to be gallivanting around the country side and besides its Christmas Eve."

Jess relayed to Kate what Mose had told him as they took the trail following Alamo's tracks.

It was getting onto mid afternoon when it started to snow, it was just a light snow, but it had the promise of being a nasty storm. He hurried the horses along as fast as he dared, hoping to find Slim and Mort before he lost the trail.

Alamo had been traveling in a pretty straight line towards home, only deviating from the trail when he encountered an obstacle. Jess, being pretty familiar with the area knew that if they continued in this direction there was an old run down cabin at the Swanson place that they could take cover in during the storm. And the way it was beginning to snow, he figured they'd better get there as soon as possible.

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The young man stoked the fire, as it was beginning to snow and it was going to be a long cold night, so before it got real bad he went to the barn where he watered and fed the bay, brushing him again and throwing an old blanket over him to help keep him warm.

While he was in the barn he searched the man's saddle bags, where he found coffee, bacon and a few cans of beans, as well as extra socks and blankets. He gathered the bags and rushed to the cabin, where he put a pot of water on to make coffee, he hadn't had any coffee for a long, long time and while waiting for that to boil, he opened a can of beans and fried some bacon. Even though he didn't need the sustenance it would taste good!

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After the young man had eaten he heated the broth he had made earlier and took it to the men. The tall man was still unconscious, but it seemed as though he was breathing a little easier and he was cool to the touch. The older man was watching him.

"I know you from somewhere."

The young man told him, "It was a very long time ago. You and the other man were always kind to me when everyone else made fun of me." Raising the man to a sitting position, he offered the cup of broth to him, "Drink this, it will make you feel better."

He could only drink a few swallows before he was falling asleep, the young man eased him back down to the bed, smiling as the herbs in the broth were doing their job.

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The man banked the fire against the chill and was making sure the men were covered when he heard horses nickering. Looking out one of the dirty windows he could make out three horses and two riders, the horse with no rider was the chesnut. He had found help, just as the young man hoped.

He knew his prayers had been answered and knowing that the men would be well taken care of and would survive their wounds, he faded into his spectral world.

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It was nearly dark, when through the heavily falling snow Jess spotted the old, dilapidated cabin. As they rode up to the barn he heard a horse whinny from inside, Traveler and Alamo both responded with their own nickers and anxious to be with their traveling mate, they hurried towards the door.

Encouraged by the excitement of the horses, Jess quickly led the horses into the barn where he found Mort's horse eagerly greeting them. Jess found that there was fresh feed for him, as well as a blanket over his back. This was great news to Jess, knowing that one or both of his friends were able to get around enough to take care of the horse.

After unsaddling their horses and giving them a big helping of hay and grain, Kate and Jess made their way to the cabin. However he was hesitant to enter, he wasn't sure why, but he had an eerie feeling, like he was trespassing on something spiritual. With a deep breath he opened the door … the cabin was warm, even with the cracks in the walls and broken windows. There was coffee on the stove and the smell of something like candy in the air, but no one greeted him.

A blast of cold air, full of snow had followed them in the door, but they hardly noticed it, instead they were looking at the two cots at the back of the room where Slim and Mort lay unmoving. Kate quickly went to their sides, while Jess moved slowly to the end of the cots, afraid of what he was going to find.

They saw that both men were breathing and when Kate touched Mort, he opened his eyes.

"Hi Mort, how're you feeling?" Kate could see a bandage around his shoulder and he was pretty weak.

Mort gave a little smile, "Kate?" Mort grimaced as he tried to sit up.

Kate took Mort's hand, "Hey, lay still or you'll tear something loose. I just got here, let me see to Slim then you can tell me what happened."

Mort nodded his understanding and closing his eyes he fell back to sleep. Jess was standing at Slim's side, afraid of what Kate was going to find. She checked him over and found his breathing slow, but steady and his color good. After examining the wound Kate found that it wasn't red or angry, all good signs that he was going to be alright.

As Kate left, Jess pulled the covers up, then squeezing Slim's shoulder, he turned to Mort and seeing that he was asleep, or unconscious, he went to the kitchen where he found Kate busy with her herbs, roots and leaves, fixing a poultice for their wounds. Kate was real good with natural healing plants and he knew that Slim and Mort were in good hands.

He discovered that the coffeepot was ready to be put on the stove and there was bacon sliced, along with beans in a pot. Looking around the room Jess tried to figure out who had been here.

"Kate, who do you suppose has been taking care of them? Neither one of them can get out of bed, let alone take care of Mort's horse or each other." While Jess was talking he had put the coffee pot on the stove and started frying the bacon.

Kate stopped her mixing of ingredients for the poultices, glancing at Jess, then looking towards Mort and Slim, she said, "I don't know Jess, but whoever it was has removed a bullet from Slim's chest and bandaged both of them. Did you notice that there were no tracks in the snow like there would be if someone had walked back and forth to the barn and there are no personal items here, the bedding is Mort and Slim's own and the saddle bags are Mort's. Like you said, they aren't capable of taking care of themselves, let alone each other, so if I were to venture a guess, I would say it was a guardian angel. And on top of all that there's a smell of licorice, I know Mort doesn't like licorice and Slim's unconscious, so how else you going to explain it?"

"I noticed a smell, but couldn't figure out what it was, but now that you've named it, it does smell like licorice." Jess looked around the small cabin, still amazed that it was so warm inside, even though he could see through the cracks in the logs. "Do you really believe in angels Kate?"

With no hesitation, Kate replied, "Sure, don't you? How else do you explain all the times you or someone you know should have been hurt or killed because of an accident or being shot, but they lived through it? There are too many unexplained episodes in life to not believe in a guardian angel." Laughing Kate added, "Besides the smell of the candy."

Kate continued her mixing, while Jess contemplated what Kate had said. "There's been quite a few times in my life that I figured someone was watching over me, so yes, I do believe there is something, or someone taking care of me, and I'm happy to know that Mort and Slim had one on hand to take care of them." Laughing Jess added, "Too bad he or she doesn't like peppermint though, that's Mort and Slim's favorite."

Kate laughed as she passed by Jess on the way to Slim and Mort. Both men would probably be all right if an infection didn't set in and that was why Kate was applying the poultice to their wounds, to draw out any poisons that may be trying to set in. She would change it two or three times throughout the night and by morning she would know if it had worked.

Jess had the bacon fried and beans warmed up by the time Kate finished doctoring Mort and Slim. Handing her a cup of coffee, he said, "Sit and rest while I dish up some of these beans. You probably haven't eaten since you left the mountain."

Kate noticed right away that Jess had fortified the coffee with a shot of her cousin Denver's moonshine, which did as much to bolster her as did the food. After they had eaten, Kate told Jess, "We need to keep the fire going, so let's take turns sleeping. I will change their dressings in a of couple hours, so I'll take the first watch, you get some sleep and I will wake you when I get sleepy."

Jess was beginning to nod off already, "Sounds good, be sure to wake me when you get tired."

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Kate had changed the poultices for the third time and tossed some more wood on the fire when she finally sat down to have a hot cup of coffee. She was fighting sleep, but knew that Jess needed it worse than her, so she would try to stay awake for another hour or so.

She was thinking about her and Jess' earlier conversation regarding guardian angels … she truly believed that there were guardians watching over most everyone, but most people didn't pay any attention. If they would just listen to their feelings or premonitions, they could be helped. It wasn't often that she talked with anyone about it, but if you just listened there was help available, all you had to do was believe.

She was still musing about angels when she heard Mort muttering and there was a strong smell of licorice, she went to see if she could hear what he was saying. Kate was listening and although she couldn't understand what he was saying, she noticed that he was smiling and seemed to be listening to someone. She wondered if he was talking to his guardian angel … he chuckled then fell quiet, sleeping soundly once more.

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The young man had watched the man and woman care for his friends, he could see the love in both their eyes and how well they ministered to them. He was happy they had friends to look after them and knew the men were going to be alright.

He spoke to the older man, "Your friends are here and they will take care of you. You will no longer require my help at this time, but I will always be near if the need shall arise in the future. I will be here to watch over you and the tall one and I think possibly I will be rather busy keeping you both safe. Merry Christmas my friends and thank you for your kindness to a child who knew little of it in his life."

Christmas Day

Kate changed the poultices, happy to see that both men were resting comfortably, with no sign of infection in their wounds. Slim was breathing easier and with deeper breaths and would probably regain consciousness before morning. By the time she had finished, she was ready to get some sleep and seeing as how it was nearly daylight and it was Christmas, she decided to let Jess sleep. So, stoking the fire one last time, she crawled in next to Mort and was asleep immediately.

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Jess woke at daylight and while laying there he noticed that it was deathly silent … there was only one thing he knew of that could make it so quiet and that was snow. He crawled out of bed and looking out one of the broken windows he saw that it was snowing hard and there was probably two feet of fresh snow on the flats.

He stirred the fire, adding more wood before putting the coffee pot on. Shrugging into his heavy coat, he went to the barn to take care of the horses, where Traveler greeted him heartedly, wanting his usual lump of sugar. Alamo and Chase were also waiting expectantly, so Jess treated both of them before forking hay into the manger. A pipe ran into a trough from a spring up the hill, so there was plenty of water.

While he was watching the horses munch on the hay in the manger he realized that today was Christmas and Daisy was expecting them for dinner. Looking out the barn door, he knew they weren't going anywhere today and possibly not for another day or two. If it had been just Kate and himself, they could maybe have pushed their way through, but not with their wounded friends, no, they were going to have to stay here until the weather broke. He went back to the cabin looking forward to a hot cup of coffee.

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When I woke, it was to the smell of licorice, coffee and bacon frying, not your normal everyday combination of smells. The licorice reminded me of someone, but I couldn't put my finger on it, no matter how hard I tried to remember.

I tried to move my arm but found it was under Kate who was sound asleep with her head on my shoulder. I lay staring at this amazing lady, thinking how grateful I was to have her in my life, we enjoyed each other's company and I looked forward to her visits, which fortunately were getting more frequent and when she came into town, she stayed at my place. I would like to make it a more permanent relationship, but have accepted the fact that she is a free spirit and I have become content with the time we have together.

I had been rubbing her back as I was doing my musing when suddenly she kissed my cheek and whispered, "I love you."

Stunned, I looked at her and asked, "What did you say?" She had never said the words to me and it surprised me.

"Nothing ."

She started to get up, but I stopped her, "You started to say something, what was it?"

With a heavy sigh and an 'if you must know attitude' in her voice she answered, "I said ' _I love you' .._. Mort, seeing you and Slim shot and lying in these beds has convinced me I needed to let you know how I felt about you and IF I ever decide to settle down, it'll be with you, if you'll have me. Just don't think it will be anytime soon," she finished with a laugh, a hug and another kiss, this time with real feeling.

As I was returning her kiss hungrily we heard Jess say, "Well, it looks like you're both getting a nice Christmas present and I hate to cut into your fun, but breakfast is ready, better eat it while it's hot."

With a groan and one more kiss, Kate rolled away from me and went to see how Slim was doing.

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As soon as she pulled the blanket back, she exclaimed, "Slim, you're awake! How're you feeling?"

He gave Kate one of his famous Sherman grins and answered, "Between Jess banging skillets and you love birds making noises, there was no way I could sleep." Laughing, with a twinkle in his eye, he continued, "I feel pretty good, not going to be running any races right away though."

"Hey Pard, you think you can sit up long enough to eat something? I have your favorite … bacon and beans!" Laughing, Jess poured him a cup of coffee and brought it to his bedside.

Taking the cup, Slim made a face and replied, "You mean you don't have a nice thick steak for me?" He laughed and added, "Feels good to be alive, thought I was a goner until Mort got me to the cabin and doctored me up. When did you get here?"

Jess gave him a startled look then glanced over to where Kate and Mort sat with stunned expressions on their faces and said, "Mort didn't help you, he couldn't even take care of himself."

"No Jess … I remember Mort lifting me onto Alamo and bringing me here. I must have passed out after that, but I do remember him talking to me." Slim was adamant that it was Mort that helped him.

Jess decided he would change the subject, so he happily exclaimed, "Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry I don't have your presents with me, if I'd known we were going to get snowed in I'd have brought them."

But Slim wasn't going to let it go, "It's not Christmas yet. Mort and I have only been gone a couple days." Looking over at Mort he implored him, "Tell 'em Mort … we've only been here a couple days, right? … Mort?"

Mort glanced at Jess and Kate before telling Slim, "I wasn't the one who helped you Slim, I couldn't even get myself on a horse, let alone lifting you. I have no idea who brought us here or where they are now. I vaguely remembered someone talking, but it's pretty much a blur. Sorry."

Slim started to argue when Jess cut in, "Let's get you fellers up and some food into you then we'll see if we can figure out what's been going on here.

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By the time that Kate and Jess helped us get dressed and we had finished eating it was mid morning and Slim was just about all in, so Kate doctored him with another one of her poultices and he was asleep as soon as he laid down. Jess had gone to the barn on the pretense of checking the horses, but I think he was probably beginning to get a little stir crazy and I was enjoying another cup of coffee when Kate joined me at the table.

After taking a sip of her steaming coffee, she searched my face, "Mort, how is it that you and Slim were both shot? It's not like either one of you to get caught unaware."

Shaking my head, I told her, "I really don't know. We left town not too far behind the robbers and Slim knew of a shortcut, which brought us out at this end of the valley, no more than a hundred yards from the cabin. We both searched the surrounding area and didn't see movement, no smoke from the chimney or any tracks through the snow, so we thought we had gotten here ahead of them. We stayed at the edge of the forest and started for the cabin, we hadn't gone but twenty-five or thirty yards when someone started shooting." I paused for a moment, remembering the surprise I felt when the shots rang out and the shock of the bullet hitting me, knocking me off my horse.

Knowing Mort was reliving that moment Kate reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze she softly asked, "What happened then?"

I held her hand tightly as I continued, "Slim went down without a sound and I was right behind him. I laid there a long time before I could finally move enough to crawl to him, when I turned him over I honestly thought he was dead … there was so much blood everywhere and the snow was red with it." I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and continued, "I was fighting to stay conscious then I heard someone approaching … I struggled, but the person just picked me up and got me on my horse and I don't remember much of anything until you got here."

Kate was concerned about Mort, she could tell he was worrying about something. "What are you worrying about? And don't tell me 'nothing', because I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you, so let's talk about it."

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About that time Jess came busting in, followed by a blast of wind and snow. He finally got the door closed, turned and informed us, "Mort, there's two dead men out behind the barn, do you have any idea who they are?" He walked to the table and threw a pair of saddlebags down, "These will probably answer my question, but I thought I'd ask you first."

I looked from Jess to Kate then down at the saddlebags and back to Jess, "I have no idea Jess. Like I said, I don't even remember how _we_ got here, let alone who else might have been around. And what do these bags have to do with anything?"

Jess opened them and took out a canvas pouch, he untied the string that held it closed and shook out several packets of money! "Mort, if I were to venture a guess, I would say this is the loot from the bank robbery … and those dead men are probably the robbers. Now, the strange thing is, there are no gunshot wounds and they haven't been knifed or beat up, it's like they just fell asleep. And they are laying all stretched out, like someone placed them there."

I felt a cold chill run down my spine and I know my face must have paled. I'm not normally a superstitious man, but with the other unexplained events happening I'm beginning to become a little nervous.

Kate still held Mort's hand and she felt him tense when Jess explained about the men, so she told Mort, "I'll go look them over, maybe there's something Jess missed, or maybe they just froze to death. There has to be a reasonable explanation. Jess, you want to show me where they are?"

Mort gave her hand a squeeze and said with a small smile, "Thanks."

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I walked to the stove to pour another cup of coffee when I heard Slim ask, "Is there another cup of that Mort?"

"Yeah, I think there's enough for both of us." I poured out another cup and took it to Slim, who was now sitting up in bed. "Are you feeling better?" I sat down in the chair next to Slim's bed and took a sip of the hot coffee.

Lifting his cup in a salute, he answered, "Thanks. I'm weak, but feel like I'll be ready to do a little walking around soon." Slim took a swallow of coffee, then asked, "Mort, is it really Christmas day? We left Laramie two days before Christmas, have I been out all that time?"

I looked at Slim with a smile, "Your guess is as good as mine. Jess and Kate say it is, but I was unconscious most of the time until yesterday evening, I woke up when they got here." I hesitated, trying to think of some way to voice my concerns without sounding like I'd lost my mind. "Slim have you smelled licorice or felt like someone was here with us, and I don't mean Kate and Jess?"

Slim looked at me questioningly then I could see realization cross his face. "Now that you mention it, I remember smelling licorice last night. It was real strong and reminded me of the kid that used to be around Laramie … what was his name? … Jack or Jim … Jamie, that's it, Jamie Scott."

"Of course! Jamie, I was trying to think who the smell reminded me of and that's it." I looked at Slim and continued, "Someone brought us to this cabin and took care of us. Kate said there are no signs of anyone being here other than us, so who was it? I have vague memories of someone talking to me and I have definitely smelled licorice. Am I losing my mind?"

Slim could tell Mort was worried, "But it couldn't have been him Mort, didn't you tell me that you found out he'd been murdered?"

I raised my eyebrows and with a little tip of my head, I replied, "Exactly. Do you suppose … oh damn, what am I saying, there's no such thing …"

"No such thing as what?" Slim watched Mort's face register disbelief.

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We were interrupted by Jess and Kate as they came in with the wind and swirling snow. Jess was slapping the snow off his shoulders with his hat while telling us, "If it doesn't quit snowing soon, we'll be here all winter!"

Kate noticed right away that Mort and Slim were staring at each other, "Mort, what's going on?" She went to where they sat, wondering what had happened. "Are you all right?"

I tried to shake the feeling that had come over me, and Slim was still giving me a look of disbelief. I looked at Kate and smiled, "I'm fine, we were just discussing the robbery and what's happened since. What'd you find outside?"

Jess had grabbed a cup of coffee for Kate and himself and said, "You're not going to like what we found Mort. There is no logical explanation as to why those men died, no marks, nothing. But we did find out their names, they had these wanted flyers in their pockets."

Jess handed them to me and when I read through them I was shocked and with a quick intake of breath, I handed them to Slim, he read through them and I saw his face turn ashen. "It can't be … Mort it's not possible … is it?"

The flyers read

Wanted: Dead or Alive

$5000 Reward for

Carl McGuire & Mitch Baxter

For the murder of Jamie Scott

Kate and Jess were watching us, wondering if we'd lost our minds I'm sure. Finally Kate asked, "Mort, do you know these men?"

Shaking my head, I looked from Slim to Kate and Jess, "No, I don't know the men, but we knew the man they killed, he lived in Laramie about fifteen years ago. He showed up in town one day, he wasn't but fifteen or sixteen years old, but he wasn't quite like a normal young man. He didn't look like everyone else, he was big for his age, probably as tall as Slim and a little heavier and his face was kinda … different, I don't know how to explain it and he had a hard time talking, like he slurred his words. He was smart enough, but he had a difficult time trying to get his point across."

As I paused, Slim took up the description, "He convinced Sam Cross, the liveryman at that time, that he could do a good job cleaning the barn and other odd jobs. Sam finally gave him a chance and was surprised and pleased with the work the boy did. He had a special way with horses, they responded to him in a way I had never seen before, or since, so Sam let him start working with them and everyone was pleased. I always had him take care of my horses when I came into town because I knew it would be done right." Slim paused, lost in his thoughts.

Taking over where Slim left off, I continued, "Before my wife passed away, she helped me clean the office … she didn't think I did a good enough job … " I laughed, shaking my head, "One day the boy came by while she was sweeping the porch, he took the broom and insisted she tell him what she wanted done. Sara showed him exactly how she wanted the office cleaned and he immediately took over the chore … which I gladly paid him to do and paid him a dollar a week … and all the licorice he could eat."

I was staring into my empty cup, when Kate softly asked, "What happened to him?"

Shrugging my good shoulder, I replied, "I'm not sure. One day he was there, the next he was gone. No one ever knew where he came from nor where he went. Then about six months later I overheard some cowhands talking about a ' _halfwit_ ' being killed down in Colorado near the New Mexico border. I remembered the boy had told me he wasn't going to spend another winter in Laramie because it was too cold, so I figured it must have been Jamie."

We all sat in silence, not looking at one another until Kate finally asked the question we all wondered about, "Do you suppose that it was Jamie that helped you? Jess and I were talking earlier about guardian angels, could Jaime be yours?"

When none of us spoke up, she continued, "There's probably no doubt that those two men behind the barn are the ones who shot you and now they are dead, with no marks on them. You were both hurt too badly to take care of yourselves and Slim would have died if someone hadn't taken that slug out of his chest. This cabin is warm, even though you could throw a cat through the cracks and why was Alamo left to go home, when Chase was kept here? And on top of all of that, there is the strong smell of licorice at times … I know none of us here like licorice, but Jamie did."

Looking around at all of us, she smiled and said, "I'm pretty sure that Jamie Scott is responsible for all of this and I think he is your guardian angel, I also believe that it was pure chance that the men who robbed the bank and shot you were also the ones that kil … killed Jamie. We'll never know how they died, or if Jamie even did it, but as far as I'm concerned, they got what they deserved."

We all looked at each other, each with their own thoughts. Finally I asked, "Jess, do you have any whiskey? I could sure use a drink about now!" My forced laugh broke the tension and as Jess retrieved the bottle, we all relaxed a little.

Jess poured drinks all around and as I took my cup, I announced, "Merry Christmas! We have a lot to be thankful for this day and I would like to make a special toast … _'here's to Jamie and all of our guardian angels, thank you'_!" Everyone clicked cups and gave a "here, here!" at which time we all smelled licorice, but not one of us said a word, we just lifted our glasses in a salute and drank our toast.

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The snow continued off and on for three more days, when on that third evening it suddenly stopped and the sun broke through the clouds, shining through the broken windows of the cabin. We had been making preparations to leave for the relay station as soon as the weather permitted and we were all in high spirits.

Jess came in just before dark with a couple of fat snowshoe rabbits that he'd caught in the snares he had set earlier in the day and Kate fried them up for supper, giving us a change of diet that was a welcome relief from the bacon and beans.

We would have to leave soon, as we were running out of supplies. Jess figured that if the weather held and the snow settled a bit more, we would be able to leave the day after tomorrow. We were all getting anxious, as we were developing 'cabin fever' and tempers were beginning to get a little short.

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The next day Slim did a lot of pacing around the cabin, trying to build a little strength back up. Jess had been able to snare another rabbit, which along with the last can of beans would have to be our dinner and supper, we had just enough coffee left for morning.

Jess announced after we had eaten that we would have to head out first thing in the morning and hope that we could make it through to the ranch, explaining, "I figure if we take turns breaking trail the horses will be able to make it without getting to worn down and they know they're headed for home, so they'll be as anxious as us to get there. So, let's call it an early night and try to get out of here by a little after daylight. Sound all right to you?"

We all expressed our approval and made ready for bed, all of us looking forward to getting back home.

New Year's Eve

We were all up before dawn and while Jess saddled the horses, Kate helped Slim and me get bundled up in our coats and gloves, as our shoulders were still a little stiff and sore to be able to do it by ourselves. Jess and Kate packed all the gear out to the horses, with Slim and me following. I stopped and turned in the threshold of the broken door … "Thank you Jamie, rest in peace son." I turned and had to smile as the odor of licorice followed me out the door.

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Luckily the weather was nice, well at least it wasn't snowing or blowing, but it was cold. What snow was on the ground had settled to less than three feet and it was still pretty soft, so the horses weren't having too hard of a time breaking trail. If we could keep this pace up we would be home before dark.

About half way, we stopped to rest the horses. Jess found enough dry wood to start a fire, which helped bolster our spirits as well as warming us a little. And having found some coffee in the bottom of one of the robber's saddlebags, we each had a cup with a little medicinal whiskey, which tasted great and helped bolster our spirits. Slim was putting up a good front, but I knew that he was just about all in … I know I was getting awfully tired and was looking forward to a nice warm house and a soft bed. Hopefully we could both hold on until we reached the ranch.

We arrived home just as the sun was setting behind the western mountains. I can't remember ever being so happy to see home … oh, I know it wasn't my home, but it was the next best thing and I considered it my second home, as I've probably had as many happy memories in this house as in my own … and not near the sadness.

Before the horses had stopped moving Jess was at Slim's side, helping him from his horse, just as Kate was at mine, and I hate to say it, but if she hadn't been there I probably would have collapsed. My legs were weak and I can't remember when I had been this cold.

As we were being helped onto the porch the door flew open and out rushed Mike, "Jess! We knew you'd find them. Aunt Daisy's been cooking up a storm all day, 'cause she said you'd all be here for supper!"

Daisy came to the door, "Mike! Be careful and let them get in the house and warm up, I'm sure they will tell us all about their adventures in due time. Come along now, let them through."

They led us to the rockers that had a permanent place in front of the fireplace and I'm not sure which one of us collapsed first. It felt so good to feel the warmth from the fire and to be surrounded by friends.

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After Mort and Slim were seated in front of the fire, Daisy instructed Jess to remove their boots and prop their feet up so they could get the full benefit of the heat from the crackling fire. Kate was removing their top layer of clothing which consisted of a heavy coat with a blanket under that, then a light jacket, as well as their gloves. While Kate and Jess were getting them comfortable Daisy fixed four steaming cups of hot coffee, each with a healthy shot of medicinal purposes only whiskey to help warm the body from the inside. It wasn't long after drinking the coffee that Slim fell asleep, with Mort following just a short while later. Daisy could tell that Jess and Kate wouldn't be far behind, so she fixed a plate for each of them from the already prepared supper, telling them to eat up then they would get Mort and Slim to bed.

Kate spoke up, "But Daisy, what about the big supper you prepared? You've worked too hard to have it go to waste!"

Daisy looked about her at her 'family' and told Kate, "Dinner will be here tomorrow then we can all sit down and give our thanks and enjoy it together, besides leftovers are always just as good, sometimes better, than the original meal. It will be our Christmas _and_ New Year's dinner. Now, let's get these boys to bed, so they can rest. We can put Mort on the couch, that's his usual place, Mike can sleep in Jess and Slim's room and you can bunk in his room."

"No, let Mike sleep in his own room, I will stay here with Mort. Besides, someone has to keep the fire stoked." Daisy started to object, but Kate quickly stopped her, "Please Daisy, don't argue. I want to stay with Mort." Kate smiled and gave Daisy a hug, "Thank you for everything."

Daisy held her for the longest time, "No Dear, thank you. I've never seen Mort so happy as he's been since he met you, I know you care a great deal for each other and I understand why you want to be close. Good night Dear."

With a parting hug, Daisy and Jess helped Kate move Mort to the couch then they got Slim to bed, with Jess collapsing onto his bunk. Daisy made sure they were both comfortable then checked to see that Mike was sleeping before she finally went to her room. It wasn't long until she too was asleep.

New Year's Day

Daisy was the first one up as usual and while waiting for the coffee to boil, she went to check on her 'boys'. She looked in on Mort and Kate first, smiling when she saw that Kate had crawled in beside Mort sometime during the late morning and were both sound asleep.

Checking on Slim and Jess, she found them asleep also. Touching Slim's face for signs of fever she found that he was cool to the touch, his wound looked fine and he was resting comfortably, so she quietly exited the bedroom.

Kate had awakened when Daisy went through to the boy's bedroom and was up and stoking the fire when she returned to the living room. "Good morning Daisy. How's Slim doing?"

Motioning Kate to follow her to the kitchen, she replied, "He's doing fine, no sign of fever and there is no red or angry looking flesh around the wound. He will no doubt be pestering me about letting him get back to work. How about Mort? … I see you helped keep him warm," she said with a smile.

Kate laughed, telling Daisy, "He'll be fine."

Daisy poured them another cup of coffee and they sat planning the afternoon's New Year's dinner.

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I don't remember Kate coming to bed, but it woke me when she got up. I discreetly watched her stoke the fire then follow Daisy into the kitchen, where I could hear them talking, although not what was being said.

I stretched and very carefully moved my arm around, trying to work some of the stiffness out without tearing the wound open. Gingerly I clasped my good hand behind my head and thought back over the last few days … I wondered if John O'Brien had survived his bullet wound, knowing that it would be a miracle if he had. I was glad we found the men who had done the deed and recovered the bank's money. But, most of all, I wondered about Jamie. Was it really him who helped us? I shook my head, bringing myself back to the present.

The coffee smelled wonderful and I could sure use a cup, so I carefully swung my legs over the edge of the bed and slowly sat up. After a couple of tries, I finally got to my feet and walked into the kitchen, asking, "Is there enough coffee for this old, shot up sheriff?"

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Daisy sat with Kate and me, each with our coffee and a small slice of gingerbread she had just served up, saying, "This will help tide us over until the boys get up and we can have a full breakfast. In fact, if Jess smells this he will be here before we know it!" We laughed at the truth of her words as we enjoyed the treat.

We were quietly discussing the fact that it had started snowing sometime during the night and had accumulated another six or eight inches of fresh snow and looked like it was going to continue for quite some time when Mike rushed out of his room with a shout, "Aunt Daisy, can we open the presents now?"

"Mike, please don't shout, Jess and Slim are still asleep. When they have had their first cup of coffee then we can sort the presents. Now get cleaned up and I'll fix you a cup of hot cocoa, how's that?"

"Oh boy!" he exclaimed as he went to the wash stand to clean up.

Slim and Jess finally crawled out of bed and joined us in the kitchen. Daisy and Kate quickly cooked up a nice breakfast and joined us as we talked quietly.

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And so it went at the Sherman Ranch. Presents were opened, a wonderful supper was prepared and eaten and the love and camaraderie of friends and family abounded.

Slim and I healed completely. The bank was happy to get its money back. I learned that John O'Brien had survived his wound, but it had resulted in him being paralyzed from the waist down, therefore I suggested to Jess and Slim that the reward money received from the wanted posters be given to the O'Brien family, which they agreed to immediately.

A young man rode into town the next spring looking for work, when he asked me where he might find some, I told him that John O'Brien was looking for someone to help out at the livery stable. He thanked me and said he would go talk with him, I smiled and gave a small wave as he rode off … leaving behind the smell of licorice.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

 _a spectral figure;_ coming from or seeming to be the spirit of a dead person; _spectral;_ like a ghost; connected with a ghost


End file.
